Who Says it has to be in a Classroom!?

The teacher in my is SO excited! Yesterday, I read Jessica's blog and was SUPER DUPER inspired to start "themed days" with my little man! (And, after Q and I had so much fun on our "cupcake tin day," I figured he's old enough to handle it/appreciate it!) So, last night, I made a list of each month's theme, and I plan on spending one day each month really focusing on that theme. It will give me a chance to do all of those creative things that I love to do and also make me spend a whole day focusing entirely on my little guy! (not house work, not Two-Five, JUST HIM!)

So...here are my themes...feel free to do them with me if you'd like!...The more great ideas, the better...
January (or probably the first few days in Feb...Since I'm behind): Snowmen & Snow!
February: Hearts & LOVE!
March: The Number TWO!!!! (pairs)
April: Easter
May: Puppies
June: Summertime/Picnic
July: Five Senses
August: Ice Cream
September: Fall Leaves
October: Pumpkins
November: Turkeys
December: Christmas

Splishin' & a Splashin'

The day that the ice storm began, Q and I braved the cold weather and headed to church for MAC. (our mom's group) When we left at around noon, it was getting even colder but didn't phase my little guy in the least! All he wanted to do was SPLASH in the puddles! He was having a blast!!! His shoes, socks and jeans were SOAKING wet and he was very disappointed when I called it quits. Here's to many more puddle splashing days in the future! ...but not when it's 30 degrees!

A Little Shout Out...and...Our Little Natural

Lately, Quinn loves to pick up the monitor and pretend that it's a phone. Look at who he talked to yesterday...with no prompting...sweet boy...

{***Don't forget to press pause on the music at the bottom and please excuse the sideways video. I thought I could flip it once I uploaded...next time I'll know...}

And, ever since Matt got Q this b-ball goal, he's been quite the natural. We're amazed at the shots that he makes and his natural follow through...As you can imagine, it makes his Daddy VERY proud...

Born to Break Hearts!

Yesterday, Amy and Porter hosted our first playgroup Valentine's Party...So, in preparation, Quinn signed all of his Valentine's to his buddies... ... dressed in his appropriate Valentine's party attire...
...and had an absolute blast at the party! He played and played in Porter's playroom, helped me make his precious Valentine's mailbag, ate lots of yummy goodies, continued to play instead of helping mail his friend's gifts...
...sort of complied when taking pictures...
...and came home to open all of his sweet things from his buddies! He was so excited to see all of his favorite characters and to devour some of the yummy goodies...
...Mommy even got a Valentine. Cara made it and is so talented...check out her store!...And, after all of that, he still had the energy left to love on Momma! I'm so glad that I'm his Valentine for at least a few more years! :)
Thank you, Amy, for all of your hard work to make the party so precious! It is a memory that will never be forgotten!

Celebrating Mammer

***Disclaimer: As of this weekend, "Grammer" has been officially changed to "Mammer!" Since Q can say his "g's" just fine, we decided that "Mammer" is his name for The Grandma formerly known as Grammer! ***
*

On Thursday, Matt had to make a last minute trip to Abilene for a meeting...so Q and I tagged along and were ready to surprise Mammer & Slickpaw! ...
*

We left at 6ish that morning and arrived in A-town around 9:30. My Dad (since he knew Matt was coming) was starting to get suspicious, so we had to quickly throw him off. I texted him for a while (telling him we were at the library) but finally called him back when I got to my parent's house. When he questioned me being in the car, I told him that I was at home. Then, to have proof that I wasn't lying, so he asked me to ask Quinn to let the puppies out of their cage. Q ran to Zoe's cage and started saying "Zoe! Zoe!" I knew that my cover was blown, but even though he heard Quinn, he still had no idea. Then, he asked me to go over and push the buttons on the microwave. When I did, and he heard the beeping, he believed me and knew that I was at home! ...
*
Funny thing! I was at HIS home! ... So, after changing Q's clothes, we hopped in the car and headed to Slickpaw's office. When we walked in the door, he couldn't believe it! It was fun to trick him! ...
*
Then, it was Mammer's turn...since her birthday was Saturday, we decided to grab some balloons and head to her school. When we got there, we had the principal call her and tell her that there was a "situation" in the office and that she needed to come right away. In seconds, she was in his office and found Quinn sitting in the principal's office with balloons for his Mammer! She was SUPER excited...
Then, we hung out at her school for a while...taking everything out of the treasure box, watching the big kids and going around to say "hi" to all of Mammer's friends! ...
Oddly enough, Mammer and Slickpaw were headed to our house on Thursday after school...So, Mammer rode with Q and I, and Matt rode with Slickpaw. ...Then, it was a weekend of birthday celebration for Mammer...

On Saturday morning, she opened all of her presents!...We got her more of her silverware from Anthropologie (she now has 12 place settings), attachments to her "Happy Everything" plate that I made her for Christmas, and a 2009 photo calendar. She loved them all...but with each gift, Q wanted it to be a cake. He said it over and over...so, here they are with Mammer's cake...

After some presents, we headed to downtown McKinney to eat at a precious little restaurant called Spoons. It was very yummy and such a fun place! ...

After eating, we piddled downtown and Slickpaw bought Q this cowboy hat! Is he not so precious!?!?...

Then, for Mammer's birthday, she wanted to go to the pottery painting place, Walls of Clay, and have Q make her a mug...So, after many failed attempts at putting his hands on a mug, we opted for his foot and wrote "Mammer Loves Quinn's Stinky Feet." Since she and Q have stinky feet in common, it was perfect. Quinn also made a cross for Slickpaw's office. ... We can't wait to see how they turn out! ...

For dinner, Mammer chose Babes, and none of us opposed! It was SUPER yummy and ended with a hilarious 58th birthday chicken dance! Mammer was a good sport...for telling her real age and for doing the dance! ...

Q wasn't too sure of all of the commotion but helped Mammer blow out the candle on her honey biscuit...and he helped her eat it too! ...

He even practiced doing the chicken dance for his birthday that's coming up very soon...

After we got home and were winding down for the night, I realized that Mammer didn't have a birthday cake! We tried to get one at a bakery in downtown, but they were closed...and then we forgot. So, we opted for a birthday sundae after Matt, Slickpaw and I sang a beautiful rendition of "happy birthday!" ...

Overall, I think Mammer had a fun day...and we had fun celebrating with her!

Coming Clean...

So...I've been tagged by this cute store and this fun momma, and I decided to accept the challenge...to TELL THE TRUTH and give you 10 facts about me that you probably didn't know before...


The rules are as follows...

1) Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.
2) Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were tagged...

3) List at least 10 honest things about yourself.

***

And...here are my 10 things...buckle up...

1. The summer before my senior year in high school, I got veneers over my four top front teeth. Thankfully my teeth were always straight and I never had to have braces, but I had a gap in between my two front teeth and the teeth beside them were shorter. So, in a few hours, I got a perfect smile! That's the way to do it, if you ask me...and to continue on with teeth honesty, I haven't been to the dentist in at least SIX YEARS...embarrassing!!!!
2. On my 16th birthday, my parents surprised me with a beautiful red camaro! It was sitting in a dentist office parking lot with a "For Sale" sign on it. But, when we got out to check out the price, it said "NOT For Sale...Happy 16th Birthday, Brittney!" I was shocked...and loved the car so much that I drove it until I was 23...that's 7 years!!!!
3. On Wednesday, I came home, turned on the faucet, and NO WATER came out! Guess who didn't pay the bill? So embarrassing!!!! But, to my defense, when I got the late notice and checked our on-line bill pay, the amount due was the EXACT SAME as last month...so I assumed it had been paid...I didn't even check the date...OOPS! ... Thankfully, the man with the magic wand came and turned our water back on within 30 minutes...and it only cost $20.00!

4. I don't wash my face at night before bed. In middle school, I started to and broke out more...so I stopped!

5. My feet are SUPER claustrophobic! If my feet get too hot, or I can't wiggle my toes in my shoes, I panic. So, I rarely wear shoes with socks...and really prefer flip flops! It's my favorite thing about the summer.
6. I own a sweet little house in Abilene, Texas. It was willed to me by my Papaw and was the house that my mom grew up in! It would make the perfect little shabby chic cottage type house!

7. During my senior year in high school, Thursdays were dress up days during football season. So, on clown day, I seemed to be one of the few students that dressed up! (I actually won "Best Dressed" for that one!) During Pre-Cal, my friend Thompson and I were taking pictures together while doing a group assignment on the floor! ... At that moment, my mean teacher got so mad and SENT ME TO THE HALL! Seriously...am I in 1st grade? When she came and talked to me about it, I seriously almost took her picture...if I could have only been so brave!!!

8. I totally believed in Santa Claus until 4th grade...and dumb Vince VanCleave is the one that told me! Bless my heart!

9. I have met very few famous people...but I have met Leslie Nielsen at the Kiva Inn in Abilene when I was about 3 and got his autograph on my kid's menu. ... And, the summer before my freshman year at Baylor, I visited my RMY, Sharee, in Midland and met Matthew McConaughey at the Country Club. He was super drunk but still super cute...and, we got to take a picture with him.

10. My pre-teen heartthrobs...Joey from NKOTB, Nolan Ryan (I had about 100 of his baseball cards neatly organized in a binder) and George Straight (I went to at least 6 of his concerts). I mean, who doesn't love middle aged men when you're 8? My walls were proudly covered in pics of these guys!

So, there you go...

Now...I want to hear from YOU....

Sarah & Sharee: Because they're two of my longest and dearest friensds and I want to see if they can tell me something that I don't already know!

Kori: Becuase she's a brand new blogger! YAY!

Molly: Because I know her post will make all of us laugh!
Mary G.: Because she's an amazing lady that means so much to Matt!

Laura Sue: Because we share a bday and I have a feeling she'll have some good ones!
Mary & Baby Joy: Because I'm praying for this sweet family and would love to know more about this amazing Momma!

Nothing Better...

“Never will a time come when the most marvelous recent invention is as marvelous as a newborn baby." -Carl Sandburg

Yesterday, I had the sweet privilege of watching my dear friend, Jessica, become a mommy! The day started around 7:30...lots of waiting, lots of talking, lots of pictures, LOTS of anticipation...

We watched the inauguration in her room while Q and Daddy played...
We chatted with Nurse Mary...my sweet nurse who got to be Jessica's nurse too...
And, then, FINALLY, at 7:52 p.m., HE WAS BORN!

Christopher Michael Burk

8 lbs. 21 inches

...and LOTS of hair!

Hearing the news was so surreal...it was crazy to think that almost 22 months ago, in the same waiting room, my family and friends were waiting for the same announcement! ...And, after what seemed like forever, we got to go back and meet Matt and Jessica's precious little man... And, let me tell you...HE IS PRECIOUS! So perfectly chunky...beautiful light brown hair...big eyes that were already locked in to his momma! ...

And, that TONGUE...he stuck it out 100 times...precious!!!!... I love it...I love that we now get to have this amazing job together...Then, after everyone had met him, it was time for him to go...so, the nurse, Baby Christopher and I traveled up the elevator together to the 4th floor. It was fun getting to be with him by myself...and telling him that I was his "Bitt Bitt!" I watched through the window and took pictures as they cleaned him and gave him his first shot. I was an emotional wreck! There's a good reason mommies don't see all of that...and, at that moment, I think I really caught that unstoppable and extra contagious "baby fever!"...

And, tonight, the whole PoeFam goes to meet Baby Christopher...I'm dying to hold him and Quinn can't wait to kiss his precious little toes! {So, check back for more pictures soon!}